Finding Happiness at Heritage View by Helen Rolfe

Author:Helen Rolfe [Rolfe, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

9

With Denby finally dry, a process sped up by the season, Gus and Abigail made use of the outdoor riding school at Heritage View while Arnold was taking a lesson in the indoor school and Hazel had gone into the house to rescue their dinner.

‘Can’t we go out to the village and some of the bridleways?’ Abigail asked again as she completed yet another lap around the school on Denby, this time trotting in the opposite direction. ‘I’ll go slowly, you don’t have to worry about keeping up.’

Gus had occasionally joined Abigail and Joan on a hack but mostly it had been just the two of them and sometimes they’d be gone for hours. Here in the village, until Abigail had lessons and had others to go out with, it was down to him to run alongside if she wanted to go outside of Heritage View. And as much as Abigail said she’d go slow, if he took her to the bridleways, she’d want to go a bit faster, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to either try to keep up or to watch her go at speed when they didn’t know the area.

‘We’ll get you out and about soon,’ he assured his daughter. ‘Just not quite yet.’

‘Did you ask about lessons again?’

‘I did. And we’re working on it.’ He didn’t miss the momentary slump in her shoulders until Denby snorted, a sign of contentment, and she mellowed. Here she was out in the sunshine, on horseback, and that in itself was pretty good.

Some parents were paranoid about their kids learning something as dangerous as horse riding; they were terrified their kid would fall off, that they would get trampled on or the horse would bolt. And while Gus might have had all those fears once, since Abigail’s accident and the way her world had shattered, seeing her absorb herself in her love of horses and in particular Denby, and the way she healed with her involvement and her passion, had put a stop to any doubt he might ever have had when it came to her riding. And leaning against the fence now, he also knew that despite any challenges they still had to come, this move to a new village, a new pace of life, was a good thing.

Watching his daughter, he wished yet again that Hazel would agree to the lessons for her. She was so good with Abigail, he’d seen it when they washed Denby, the patience she had, never mind the fun, and then the way she let Abigail help her with filling the hay nets, even though she probably could’ve done it quicker alone. Hazel had a kind nature, it was one of the things he most admired about her. But maybe he needed to adopt a little patience because perhaps Joan was right, there had to be a valid reason why Hazel wouldn’t teach his daughter.

He smiled to himself, wondering how much of Joan’s understanding about Hazel’s character was down to her getting ideas about the local vet and the pretty stable owner getting together.

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